A is for Accident
by JazzieG
Summary: A simple trip to the mall turns into a drama for Danny. Of course it does. (DWOCD forum members, this is for you, you horrible bunch of enablers!)


**DISCLAIMER: ** I own nothing related to 5-0 or the characters. This is purely for fun!

**AN: **So, those on the DWOCD forum have been bugging me for another A to Z of Danny Whump series and as you can see I've caved to peer pressure! (You're all evil!) I've had the most awful writers block on my NCIS version so I decided to try to unlock that with the first chapter of a new A to Z for Danny. Although this will be posted as separate stories rather than 26 different chapters of the same one. I also make no promises about how often I'll post, because honestly my life is one drama after another right now! So, I hope you enjoy this for what it is, a bit of fun. I've not watched any of season 4 so my characterisation will probably all be season 1-3.

Thanks to Irene Claire for the read through and the confidence boost to post!

-5-0-

Danny Williams stepped out of the mall into the bright Hawaiian sunshine, his shoulders hunched with his hands in his pockets. He'd just spent his lunch break trying to find the perfect gift for his daughter's 11th birthday and had come up empty. It seemed to him the island was mocking him with the cheerful weather.

He glanced up, trying to remember where he'd left the Camaro, for once he'd managed to sneak out of 5-0's offices with the keys to his car and leave his partner, Steve, behind. He'd have to remember to thank Cath for distracting the Navy SEAL when he got back.

Finally he remembered that, because the parking lot had been busy, he had parked over the far side and he started his trek, sticking to the designated walkways. Stopping to let a car drive passed, he noticed a young woman struggling to get a stroller out of the trunk of her vehicle, as her two children stood next to the car. The younger one, a boy, was looking around him wide eyed, probably not older than 3 or 4 years old, the older one looked to be Grace's age and she was clearly not happy as her little brother swung their hands back and forth excitedly.

"Jez, stop it!" she glanced down and pulled at her hand to try to get him to stop fidgeting.

"No!" replied the little boy, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

"Would you two behave!" the Mom looked up, tucking a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear as she huffed, "I told your father we needed a car with a bigger trunk," she grumbled as she returned to her efforts of trying to remove the stroller.

Danny was watching the exchange as he walked towards them, his car parked a few spaces down, he was a few feet away and about to ask if the woman needed some help when the young boy squealed in excitement and yanked his hand out of his older sister's.

"Jez!" The young girl cried out as he ran away from her.

The Mom glanced up and clapped her hand over her mouth and one to her heart as her son ran into the path of a reversing vehicle. The driver would never be able to see the small boy.

Danny reacted on instinct and ran, grabbing the boy around the waist, causing him to squeal again. Although the Detective was much larger and easier to see, it was too late for the driver to stop without hitting him, though they slammed on their brakes as soon as they saw him. The car struck Danny on his right side as he wrapped his own body around the young boy, using it to protect him from any impact. The force of the knock sent Danny to the ground and he skidded on his left side, still protecting the now screaming boy.

The Detective groaned as he pushed up into a seated position and checked on the screaming, writhing bundle of small boy in his arms. He didn't appear to have gotten even a scratch, much to Danny's relief.

"Oh my God!" the driver flung open his door and dashed to the back of the car, "Sir, are you alright?"

"Jez!"

"Jeremy!"

"I'm fine, so is the little one," Danny was quick to assure, holding the boy out to his mother.

"Oh thank you!" his Mom was crying as she took him into her arms, pulling her daughter in with them.

"I didn't see him. I…"

"You didn't stand a chance, he just ran out," Danny reassured the driver, who was obviously shaken.

"Is everyone alright?" an additional female voice joined the conversation, "I've called 911."

Danny looked up into the wide eyes of an older lady and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, "Everyone's fine, thank you, just a bit shaken I think."

"I should move my car, it's blocking the way," the driver stated shakily.

"I can do it, if you want," Danny offered, knowing that the man was probably in shock.

"No, no, it's fine I just have to pull it forward, right? Right." He eased himself up and back into his car, which was when Danny realised he was using the bumper to lean against. He slowly got up, wincing at the pull on his ribs and the burning pain in his hip and shoulder. The hit he'd taken from the trunk of the car and then the asphalt was bound to leave a mark.

He quickly ushered the mother and her two children to the side as he saw that there were several vehicles waiting to get through. Once clear they all took their time driving passed so they could have a good nose. Danny even went as far as tapping his badge when one particularly nosey driver slowed almost to a stop.

"Mrs…?"

"Oh, sorry Mrs Ward but please, call me Gemma. This is my daughter Jen and this little monster is Jeremy," she indicated her children. Her son was pressed against his mother's chest, little snivelling and hiccupping sounds coming from him.

"Hey little man," Danny gently put his finger under the little boy's chin to get his attention, "What made you run away from your sister like that?"

Jeremy turned his big, blue, watery eyes on Danny, "Puppy!" he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world and to him it probably was.

"Well, Jeremy, I'm sure that puppy was very interesting but you must never run off like that again. Do you hear?" Danny tried to keep his voice stern in the face of the freshly trembling lip.

"Uh huh," he nodded, before burying his face in his mother's neck.

Gemma Ward looked at Danny like she was about to tear him a new one for chastising her child, then seemed to think better of it, "Mr…" she paused realising that she hadn't got the name of the man who had prevented a nasty accident.

"Detective Danny Williams."

"Detective Williams is right Jeremy, you could have been seriously hurt!"

"I'm sorry Mom, he just pulled away…" Jen sobbed.

"No, hey, no honey, it wasn't your fault. I should have left you both in the car while I tried to get the stroller out."

The driver of the vehicle had joined them, "I'm sorry, I just didn't see him!"

"Like I said, wasn't your fault, sorry I didn't catch your name."

"John Phelps," replied the driver. "Is he really alright?" he nodded towards Jeremy.

"Yes, seems to be, though I think I've aged 10 years!" Gemma replied.

"Well here's the ambulance now, we might as well get him checked out since they're here," stated Danny as an ambulance and an HPD patrol car pulled over to the side.

The paramedics approached and Danny let loose an internal groan when he recognised the pair as Andy and Jake, two men who he'd got to know well, thanks to the job and to some degree, the antics of his partner. The internal groan was quickly followed by an outright audible groan when the HPD officers came into view. Ani Kale and Kai Kealoha had become friends with the 5-0 team after working together regularly, if Steve ever required HPD assistance he always requested the two officers if they were available.

"Danny?"

"Hey guys," he waved, encompassing all four. He quickly told them what had happened. Jake and Kai went with Gemma, Jen and Jeremy to the back of the ambulance so that the paramedic could check on the little boy and Kai could take their statements. Ani and Andy took the driver to the patrol car to do the same.

Danny stood for a moment and took a deep breath. The adrenaline was starting to leave his system, leaving him with the uncomfortable realisation that taking a deep breath _hurt_ and his left shoulder and hip burned with discomfort as the skin rubbed against his clothes. He twisted his torso slightly to try and get a look at his left hip but cursed under his breath when pain shot through his right side.

"Danny?" asked Kai as he returned to talk to the detective.

Oh yeah, he just bet that the young officer saw his discomfort but decided to brazen it out, "Everyone alright?"

Kai raised an eyebrow but answered the question, "Mr Phelps and Jeremy are fine. A little shaken up, that's all."

"That's a relief."

"Yeah, Ani is arranging to have someone go and pick up Mrs Phelps so she can come and drive her husband home and I called Mr Ward, he's got a colleague dropping him here shortly," Kai eyed Danny critically.

The detective tried his best not to squirm under the close observation, "That's good work. So, you've got everyone's statements, I think I'll head back to the office," he gave Kai his best smile and started to move towards the Camaro.

"Hold it right there Danny!"

He cringed at the stern voice of Jake, the senior paramedic, "Problem Jake?"

"You tell me Detective Williams," responded the medic, giving him the stink eye.

"Nope, no problem. Kai tells me everyone escaped unscathed and statements have been given so I was just gonna head back to HQ…"

"Yeah, not so fast!" Andy reached out and placed a gentle hand on Danny's forearm to stop him from making good his escape.

"Mrs Ward tells us that _you_ were actually hit by the car and knocked to the ground."

"It was just a tap, nothing really, I'm fine," dismissed Danny, trying to be nonchalant.

"Not buying it. Andy, Kai, are you buying his story?"

"That would be a no," replied Kai with a grin.

"Me neither," stated Andy.

"Honestly, I'm fine. I really must get back to work. Steve will…" as if someone, somewhere knew exactly what he was about to say, his cell phone rang, "Speak of the devil," he grumbled. "Gotta take this," Danny shrugged and barely held back a wince as he moved away from the three men, who all stood glaring at him. "Steven."

"Where the hell are you Danny?" demanded the Navy SEAL.

"At the mall, surely Cath told you where I went for my lunch?"

"Yes, she did but lunch was over half an hour ago and you're still not here, obviously!"

"I'm still at the mall…"

"What?! I know Grace's birthday present is important but you can't just disappear without telling me!"

"I didn't disappear without telling you, I left a message with Cath…"

"And when you realised you were going to be late back, you should have called me!"

"I've been a little busy Steven!" growled Danny in frustration, moving his right hand up to run it through his hair before pain spiking in his side stopped him and he let it fall to his side again, clenching his fist.

"Busy with what Danny?"

"I witnessed an accident in the car park, little boy almost got run over…"

"Anyone hurt?" Steve's tone changed immediately.

"Thankfully no, I mean I grabbed the kid before he could be hit and got a bit of a knock…"

"A bit of a knock?! How badly are you hurt?" demanded Steve.

Danny sighed as he heard his partner's clearly agitated tone, "I'll likely have a bruise, that's it, big guy. Turn the panic down from defcon one please!"

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Steven, I'm sure. The car was reversing out of a space so wasn't going fast enough to do any real damage to me, however if the car had hit the kid…" he paused, shuddering at the thought of how a trip to the mall could have turned out very differently.

"I hear ya," Steve could only imagine the 'Daddy Danny' nerves that the incident had invoked. "Anything I can do?"

"No, I don't think so, thanks. I'm going to be stuck here a bit longer trying to get this cleared up."

"Alright, take as long as you need and call me if you need anything."

"Yeah, thanks Steve." Danny hung up and sighed with relief. That had been easier than he thought it was going to be. Now all he had to do was escape the three men whose eyes he could feel boring into his back.

Turning around he found that Ani had appeared and was standing just a couple of feet away, "You didn't tell him you were hurt?" she asked.

"I told him I'd likely have a bruise," he assured her.

"Well I'd say it's more like bruised ribs, shoulder and hip than _a _bruise," pointed out Ani, crossing her arms.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ani moved faster than Danny possibly could, given his current level of discomfort and she poked him in the side, eliciting a hiss from the detective, "Bruised ribs," she stated and raised her eyebrow at him.

"Ambulance, now!" ordered Jake.

Danny opened his mouth to protest but found that he had no escape route as the three men had moved as Ani proved her point.

"Fine!" groused Danny, rolling his eyes and heading to the back of the ambulance.

"Sit!"

The detective sat as instructed, trying not to wince as the movement made a pain in his hip flare. Andy moved forward and helped him remove his shirt so they could get a good look at where the car had impacted his ribs.

"Oh, that's gotta hurt," remarked Kai as the bruise came into sight.

"Don't you have any work to do?"

"Huh, now that you mention it, I think I see Mr Ward and Mrs Phelps arriving," Kai responded, quickly taking Ani with him.

"He's right though Danny, that has got to hurt," stated Jake as he gently probed the area, checking that none of the ribs were actually broken and in danger of puncturing a lung.

"Shit!" gasped Danny as the medic hit a particularly tender spot, "Yeah, especially when it's being poked!"

"Sorry but I need to check for breaks. One of your ribs is definitely moving."

"You've got some nasty road rash on your shoulder and hip," Andy informed him from the opposite side, "It's going to need cleaning."

Danny knew exactly where this was going, "I'm not going to the hospital."

"Don't be stupid Danny. If you don't get these wounds cleaned you risk infection, not to mention an x-ray of your ribs wouldn't go amiss to make sure you're not going to suddenly puncture a lung."

"You're being a bit overly dramatic, don't you think?" snorted Danny pushing to his feet and grabbing his shirt and slowly easing himself back into it and doing up the buttons. He didn't particularly care that the shirt had been ruined by his fall to the asphalt, something he hadn't noticed until he had taken it off.

Jake looked at his partner and shook his head in amazement at the stubbornness of the detective, "I can't force you to go to the hospital," he fervently wished that Steve was here to talk some sense into the man, "But I strongly recommend you do."

"Oh, he's going," came Kai's voice from behind them.

"Yeah, no!"

"Ani, can you call Commander McGarrett…"

"No!" insisted Danny.

"You go to the hospital or Ani calls the Commander and gets him to come down here and talk some damn sense into you!"

Danny knew when he was beaten. He was, even if he wouldn't admit it, sore, tired and grumpy and definitely not up to dealing with Steve in over protective mode right at that moment. "Fine but I'll drive to Queens. It's not an emergency and I'm not in need of immediate treatment," he indicated Jake and Andy, "You should get back to helping those that need it most."

"You can't drive, Danny," pointed out Jake.

"It's OK, I'll drive him," Kai told the paramedics, sighing a sigh of the long suffering.

"Alright," agreed Jake but he pulled out some paperwork that he got Danny to sign to say he'd refused transportation to the hospital. Once that was done the two medics got into their vehicle and drove off.

"Keys," demanded Kai, holding out his hand.

"Just when I think I'm going to get to enjoy driving _my_ car, someone else comes along and demands the keys," sighed Danny, dropping them into the young officer's palm.

"Yeah, yeah! Don't you need to call Steve? I mean isn't he going to get suspicious when you don't return?"

"Probably," Danny held off on the temptation to sigh again but it was a near thing, "I'll call him and try to head him off."

"Why not just tell him?" asked Ani, joining the two men.

"I will, just not right now. I'm not in the mood for him barging in and…"

"Too late," mumbled Kai, catching sight of a familiar blue truck pulling up behind their patrol car.

"You called him!" accused Danny, glaring at Ani and Kai alternately, quickly ensuring his back was facing away from his partner so he couldn't see the damage to his shirt. He knew it was useless but he couldn't be blamed for trying to keep the 'mother henning' to a minimum, surely?

They both held up their hands in denial and shook their heads as the Commander approached, "Danno?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I was worried. You did tell me you got hit by a car Danny!"

Danny lost his battle, letting out a long drawn out sigh, "I'm fine!"

Both Ani and Kai coughed at that, earning another baleful glare from the detective. Steve glanced at the pair before turning his laser focus back to his partner.

"Ah, crap!" growled Danny, "Fine! Kai was about to drive me to Queens."

"Why?" Steve's face was a picture of neutrality, or would be to those that don't know him. Danny recognised it as his, '_tell me what's going on right now, or else'_ face.

"I, er, may not have been entirely truthful with you, on the phone, just the slightest bit mind you. I wasn't lying when I said I received a bit of a knock, it just might have done more damage than I first anticipated?" It came out as more of a question than a statement and Danny let his shoulders slump as he waited. He didn't have to wait long.

"Done more damage?" Steve watched his partner nod, "Than you anticipated?" another nod, "And you didn't think to call and tell me this when you realised, WHY?!" growled Steve, clearly unhappy as he started to walk around Danny to find the injuries that couldn't have been obvious, otherwise he'd have spotted them immediately. Danny purposely turned as Steve did, which only infuriated the SEAL more and that ended up with him grabbing Danny by the shoulders and spinning him around, gaining a groan of pain for his trouble.

"He's bruised his ribs and has road rash on his shoulder and hip," Kai informed the Commander, shrugging as Danny glared at him again, "What? He's going to find out anyway, at least this way he might not hurt you in the process."

"Hospital, now!" Steve growled as he started to move Danny towards the Camaro, which he'd spotted as he pulled up.

"Er, aren't you forgetting something Steven?" Danny quirked an eyebrow, before nodding his head towards the truck.

"Damn!"

"Here," Kai handed over the Camaro keys, "Give me the keys to the truck, I'll drop it back at HQ for you."

"Thanks Kai," Steve gave him the truck keys before ushering Danny away.

"Yeah, thanks Kai," grumbled Danny, somewhat petulantly, earning an eye roll from the young officer and a giggle from Ani.

-5-0-

"I don't get you," Steve stated once he had Danny settled in the car and was driving to Queens.

"What?" Danny had his head resting back with his eyes shut.

"Why wouldn't you tell me you were actually hurt, more than just a slight bruise?"

Another sigh, "I just wanted to concentrate on getting things cleared up. I didn't even realise how bad it was until Jake and Andy pointed it out. Then I was going to get Kai to take me to the hospital, get patched up, go home and call you."

"Go home?"

"Yes, Steven. I have no doubt that once the doctor has finished poking my sore parts, returning to work will be the last thing on my mind!"

"You're not going back to your place if you're going to be on your own."

"And there is another reason not to tell you until I'm safely ensconced in my own domain!"

"Ensconced? Domain?"

"Really, you're going to take issue with my vocabulary right now? Huh?!"

"Danno…"

"Drop it Steven."

"Danny…"

"Just leave it."

Steve would have continued to argue but they had reached their destination, so he decided to let it go and parked the car. Watching Danny get out of the vehicle would have been amusing, if the reason for the performance wasn't because his partner was in pain. The Commander thanked his lucky stars for the law enforcement bays at the front of the hospital that were slightly larger than the public parking bays.

The two men walked quietly, and slowly, through the ER doors and to the reception area. The young woman looked up and immediately rolled her eyes when she took in the two 5-0 officers before her, she was familiar with both of them.

"Which of you is it this time?" she asked, resigned that one of them would be there to be seen.

"How do you know we aren't here to interview a witness or a suspect?" asked Danny indignantly.

"Are you?"

"Well no, but…"

"Let me guess. I'm going with Detective Williams."

"You would be right," agreed Steve, a slight grin on his face.

"OK, you know the drill," Emily, the receptionist, handed over the necessary paperwork, "What happened?" she asked, ready to put it on the system while Danny filled out his information.

"Argument with a car, the car won!" growled Danny.

"There's a surprise," mumbled Emily, "Injuries?"

"I was examined on scene by a paramedic who informed me one of my ribs was moving, and even I know that shouldn't happen, as well as some road rash on my hip and shoulder that would need cleaning."

"If you were seen by paramedics then why didn't they bring you in?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't consider bruising an emergency so I signed the necessary papers and agreed to make my own way here."

"Of course you did," a deep male voice said from behind them.

Danny recognised the voice and took as deep a breath as his bruised ribs would allow before turning, "Hi Akela, how are you?" he gave him what he hoped was his best charming smile.

"Yeah, that's not gonna work. Jake called to find out if Doctor Jensen was on shift and to give him a heads up you were on your way in, or at least he hoped you were. Luckily for you, Doctor Jensen is in the building and is free to see you." Nurse Akela crossed his arms. He stood over a foot taller than Danny and though not easily intimidated, the detective had crossed the nurse on more than one occasion and come out on the losing end.  
"Oh, yay!" Danny responded sarcastically. He signed the form in front of him and handed it over to Emily and thanked her.

"Follow me," said Akela, turning around and not even checking that the two men were following him.

"I should call Chin and Kono to let them know what's happening," Steve told his partner.

"Oh, no you don't," Danny grabbed Steve's sleeve and pulled him along with him as best as he could, "You're not leaving me to deal with Doctor Jensen _and_ Akela. Anyway, you called them before we left the mall. They know where we are."

"Need me to hold your hand Danno?!"

"There is no shame in having a healthy concern about being left in a room with both of them. They can be extremely intimidating," Danny gave a slight shiver at the thought.

"Intimidating? What more intimidating than me?" Steve raised an eyebrow, though he didn't disagree that the two men made a formidable team, a bit like him and Danny.

The detective snorted, "Oh babe, you're not intimidating!"

"I am too!"

"And that, right there, is a prime example of why you're not intimidating. You behave like a child!"

"Says the guy who wasn't even honest enough to tell me he'd been hurt by a freaking car hitting him!"

A throat being cleared had both men stopping and turning in perfect synchronisation, "Gentleman, when you're quite finished."

The two men looked suitably chastised as they greeted him, "Hi Henry," Danny tentatively reached out to shake Doctor Jensen's hand and was relieved when the man relaxed his stern posture and took it.

"Henry," Steve held out his hand which was also taken, before the Doctor ushered them both into a small trauma room.

"OK, what happened, Danny?"

The man in question quickly explained as Akela helped him take his shirt off. The sight of the now large and ever darkening bruise caused Steve to hiss in sympathy.

"Alright, take off your pants too please," instructed Henry as he pulled on some gloves.

Danny huffed at that but obediently lifted one of his feet to remove his shoes before realising that wasn't going to happen as the injuries on both sides of his body protested vehemently at the movement. Akela assisted him with no fuss and within a few minutes Danny was standing in just his boxers. He wasn't an overly self-conscious man but unlike his partner, he didn't go pulling his shirt off at the drop of a hat, so he shifted momentarily as he let the uneasiness pass.

"On the bed on your back if you can please Danny."

The bed had been lowered and he gingerly sat down and swung his legs round as he lay back. It wasn't the most comfortable position but it was certainly better than if he'd had to lay on either of his sides. Once his patient was as comfortable as he could be, Henry raised the height of the bed but left Danny lying flat as Akela busied himself checking their patient's vitals.

Henry gently palpated around Danny's abdominal area first, he realised that he hadn't been struck there but he wanted to rule out any possibility of internal injury. Once satisfied he moved on to Danny's ribs. The left side was fine but the moment he came into contact with the right side, he flinched away. The doctor then turned to the patches of road rash. The hip was easy to examine but the shoulder involved turning Danny slightly, something that his ribs weren't overly impressed with and Danny groaned in discomfort.

"Alright Danny, almost done," Henry tried to soothe, as Akela helped hold him in place to allow a thorough examination. By the time they were done the detective was sweating and pale with a good strong grip on Steve's hand. "Akela, let's give Danny five of morphine please."

"Oh, you give me pain relief _now_!" Danny spoke through gritted teeth. A minute later the nurse was pulling down the back of his boxers and plunging a needle into the detective's backside. Steve helped to hold Danny to give Akela access and was glad that the pain medication wouldn't take long to take effect.

"What's the verdict, Henry?" asked Steve.

"We need to flush both the hip and shoulder wounds thoroughly to make sure that no particle of grit or dirt is left behind, as it could cause an infection. They don't seem to be too deep so I don't think we'll need to debride them. Akela, can you arrange for Danny to be taken for an x-ray of his ribs please," he turned his attention to Danny, "You have at least one fractured, if not broken rib and although we can't do anything but help you manage the pain, I do need to be sure that it's not going to splinter or possibly puncture your lung."

"OK," Danny agreed, the pain medication obviously taking effect as his eyes became slightly glassy.

"Huh, maybe we should keep you doped up all the time if it makes you this agreeable," joked Steve. Danny mustered up enough energy to flip his best friend the bird in response. Any reply Steve would have made was prevented as an orderly arrived to take Danny for his x-ray.

-5-0-

A few hours later a sore and drugged up Danny was being ushered out of the hospital by Steve. Henry had given strict instructions for rest and medication for the next few days, which only made Danny even grumpier.

"Come on Danno, let's get you home," Steve stated as he helped the injured man into the passenger seat of the Camaro.

"Not my home," Danny replied, almost mournfully.

Steve tried not to sigh but he lost his battle and ran his hand through his hair for good measure, "We've been through this, more than once," he closed the door and hurried round to the driver's side and slid behind the wheel, "You're in no condition to be left on your own, especially given you couldn't even get dressed without help."

Danny cringed at the memory of not being able to even bend down to pull his pants up, let alone put his shoes back on, "Doesn't mean I have to like it," he responded, somewhat petulantly. If it wouldn't make his ribs and road rash pull, he'd be crossing his arms to go along with the pout he was sporting.

"I get it, you're not happy but please, for everyone's sake, can you just let it go!"

"Fine!" huffed Danny, leaning back as much as his throbbing left shoulder and hip would allow, he closed his eyes and drifted into a light doze, probably aided by the pain medication and muscle relaxants Doctor Jensen had loaded him up with. He'd issued a prescription for some lower strength analgesic, muscle relaxants and antibiotics and Steve stopped to collect these, leaving Danny in the car.

Steve pulled up outside his house and gave Danny a gentle nudge, "Come on brah, inside and you can get some proper rest."

Danny opened bleary eyes and yawned, before opening the door and trying to heave himself out. The seatbelt stopped him going anywhere, "Huh?" confused eyes looked at Steve as he was getting out of the vehicle.

"Oh yeah, Henry gave you the good stuff," chuckled Steve as he leaned back in the car to release the seatbelt and then jogged round to help Danny out.

The front door was already open and Kono stood in the doorway waiting for the two men to reach her, "Can't let you go anywhere on your own, eh Danny?" she took his arm and walked him over to the recliner, where a stack of pillows had already been placed. Gently she encouraged him to sit down, reclined the chair and adjusted the pile so that they supported him enough without putting pressure on his injuries, something that took several minutes to accomplish.

"Thanks," mumbled Danny as he settled down.

"No worries," Kono smiled softly as he closed his eyes and seemed to relax, falling asleep with the help of the medications and a more comfortable position.

The two team mates joined Chin out on the lanai. The older man had decided to stay there so as not to crowd their injured friend.

"How's he doing?" he asked Steve as the SEAL sat down.

"Tired, sore and really, really grumpy!" he replied, though he was smiling slightly.

"How bad is it?" Kono asked. She had spoken to Steve before he left Queens but obviously Danny's injuries were hidden under bandaging and clothing. She could tell from the detective's movements, or rather lack of them, that he was in some amount of discomfort, even with the medication he'd been given at the hospital.

"Henry says the road rash wasn't too deep but they scrubbed it thoroughly and he needs to take antibiotics for the next week and the wounds will need to be redressed and cleaned daily, which could be for up to two weeks."

China and Kono shared a sympathetic wince, both had suffered road rash of some description thanks to their hobbies.

"What about his ribs?"

"He has a broken one on his right side, the x-ray showed nothing of concern at the moment but Henry did say he needs to be careful. Any signs of shortness of breath, then he needs to go straight to the hospital. We need to make sure he's taking his pain medication regularly as well to prevent further complications, like a chest infection. It's going to take up to six weeks for his ribs to heal."

"Wow, that'll mean desk duty. He's gonna be like a bear with a sore head!" stated Kono.

"Yeah, even more reason to feed him the pain medication!" chuckled Steve.

"I heard that!" Danny stated from the door to the lanai.

"Danny, what are you doing up? You should have called if you needed something!" Kono chided him as she got up to meet him.

"Unless you can, you know, go to the bathroom for me, I kinda needed to get up!" retorted Danny, leaning into Kono for support without really meaning to.

"Well if you'd said I could have at least helped you up," she sighed as she guided him out onto the lanai as Chin hurried into the house to grab some of the pillows. She carefully lowered him down into one of the chairs, with Steve standing on his other side and then took the pillows and arranged them for him to lean against. For his part, Danny was just glad to be sitting again and out in the fresh air. The medication left him feeling a little fuzzy and the gentle Hawaiian breeze was, for once, welcomed.

"You hungry Danno?" Steve asked as he stood up straight.

"I could eat, I think," he replied, though he wasn't sure how much he'd be able to manage. His stomach was churning but he couldn't be sure if it was in hunger or it was the medications.

"Something light," Kono suggested, "How about some scrambled egg on toast?"

Danny thought for a moment, "Yeah, that sounds good, thanks," he gave her a tired smile.

"Chin, come and help me sort out the guest room?" asked Steve, sensing that his friend just needed to enjoy some peace and quiet.

"Of course," agreed the older man, gently squeezing Danny's good shoulder before following the SEAL inside.

Danny closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, ignoring the twinge it caused in his ribs. Henry had warned him about the consequences of breathing shallowly and he had no intention of ending up back in the hospital.

It didn't take long for Kono to make him some food and he gratefully accepted the slice of toast with scrambled egg that she placed on the table in front of him. She placed a glass of water next to his plate and then sat silently keeping him company.

Once he was done eating he leaned back, wincing when his shoulder pressed a little too hard into the chair and closed his eyes, allowing the warm evening to lull him into a doze.

-5-0-

"Come on Danno, time for bed," Steve shook him gently, careful not to aggravate any of his injuries.

"Huh?" asked the man in question eloquently.

"Medication and bed," prompted his friend, indicating the fresh glass of water and holding his hand out with the required pills.

"Yeah, OK," agreed Danny as he shifted and groaned at the stiffness in his body. He swallowed the pills without complaint, which in and of itself was evidence of how much he was currently suffering, then allowed Steve to help him to his feet.

He wished he could stretch like he wanted but knew it would be a bad idea and just shuffled his way slowly into the house, saying a goodnight to Chin and Kono as he walked through the living room. Once in the upstairs guest room, there had been much debate about whether he should sleep in the room downstairs but it was decided it was better for him if Steve was sleeping nearby so he could call out if he needed help, Steve helped him to get undressed, wincing at the now livid bruise that graced his partner's torso.

"Do you want to try laying on your right side like Henry suggested?" asked Steve as Danny sat on the bed.

"It seems odd to lay on my injured ribs," replied Danny, going to shrug and then thinking better of it.

"I know but he did think it would help you breathe deeper."

"I'll give it a go, can't be any worse than lying on my back will be." Putting words into actions he slowly swung his legs onto the bed and shifted to lay on his right side, groaning at the pain as he shifted into position.

Steve hung back letting him manoeuvre himself to where he was most comfortable and then slid a pillow both in front of him and wedged one behind him, "How's that?"

"Yeah, OK, thanks," Danny's shoulders started to relax as he allowed his body to be supported by the pillows, giving his muscles a much needed break.

"Get some rest buddy," Steve pulled the covers up and rested his hand on Danny's leg for a moment, "I'm here if you need anything, just shout."

"Thanks Steve," Danny mumbled as he started to drift off to sleep.

"I've got your back Danno, always," Steve murmured quietly.

"I know," the reply was barely audible.

Steve quietly left the room to see Chin and Kono out and lock up for the night. The next six weeks would probably be long and fraught with arguments as Danny healed but at least he _would_ heal and a little boy was sleeping soundly in his own bed thanks to his actions.


End file.
